


Take My Hand (Take My Whole Life Too)

by StepTowardsTheLight



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Liam Payne, Beta Niall Horan, Beta Zayn Malik, Bottom Louis, Detective Harry, Harry Styles is Protective of Louis Tomlinson, Healing Sex, Hybrid Louis, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Innocent Louis, M/M, Omega Louis, Pack Dynamics, because i can't help myself, like kitten hybrid, louis is strong
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26257090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StepTowardsTheLight/pseuds/StepTowardsTheLight
Summary: Unmated, uneducated, underage and, painfully omega, Louis Tomlinson knew fine well his exile from his pack was essentially a death sentence. But that didn't mean he had to roll over an accept it. And, as it turns out, his desire to spite his old pack really did do wonders for his survival instincts.If you asked him, he'd tell you that he knew what he was doing, that he had been biding his time. That yes, he knew it had been two years, but he still could have gotten away, he just had to wait for the perfect moment. He hadn't needed rescuing. But, when Detective Harry Styles stumbles upon him whilst trying to take down the very organisation keeping him captive and forcing him, and others, into sex work, how could he say no to a helping a hand?Especially when said hand is attached to such a perfect alpha?
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason I've been itching to write an A/B/O or Hybrid fic for ages so surprise, I'm combining the two into one. Fair warning, all of my fics seem to develop minds of their own and grow to a monstrous length so I can't promise I'll be able to reign this one in (if I stick to it).
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: There will be repeated references to past sexual trauma (i.e forced sex work) but I will NOT be writing explicit non-con scenes and will put warnings at the start of each chapter. Please proceed with caution if you're sensitive to this topic. 
> 
> Feedback, as always, is appreciated.

Detective Harry Styles loved every bit of his job.

Even the seemingly endless amount of paperwork it meant he had to deal with.

But, the sting operations were by far his favourite part of the role. For one, it was incredibly satisfying when they went well. It was always nice to see that the countless hours of observation his team put in and the immense effort it took to infiltrate the kind of criminal operations they were tasked with bringing down hadn’t been for nothing.

But, most of all, he liked how personal they often were.

Progressing through the ranks his job had, unfortunately, resulted in his position becoming increasingly admin based. As a result, he spent more time directing his team and filling in the aforementioned paperwork mountains than he did in the field. A large part of him missed the part of his job that involved actually helping people, in person. Raids allowed him to get that rush of pride he used to feel when he did his job well, let him feel like he was actually directly contributing to bettering their society and, made his inner Alpha preen. Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t difficult and, there was always a risk that something would go wrong, always a chance that there would be some element they hadn’t accounted for or that an innocent would get caught in the crossfire.

But, to Harry’s great relief, his team hadn’t had a major fuck up since he was promoted, something that had definitely given him an ego boost.

Unfortunately, he knew fine well that there was a first time for everything. Just because things hadn’t gone wrong didn’t mean they couldn’t and Harry’s team were well versed in hearing this particular lecture. 

“Yeah yeah Styles, can we wrap it up? Sorta a time-sensitive deal this.” Niall, his second in command, an Irish beta with little regard for the traditional boundaries of their secondary genders piped up, interrupting his speech. Harry glared over at the blonde, rolling his eyes at the way he was tapping at his watch but obliged, nodding curtly and pulling his helmet over his head. He didn’t take kindly to receiving orders from very many people, part of being an alpha and all, but Niall wasn’t just a colleague. They’d grown up in the same pack, went to the same school, gone through academy training together and now they not only worked alongside one another but ran their pack together also.

In short, Niall was one of the few people Harry would take direction from out of a professional scenario and didn’t the beta know it.

“Ok guys, I’ll keep this short then. Me, Niall and Liam will enter through the front first and head for the upper floors. Zayn you’re gonna follow after with Andy, Stan and Josh, I want you to sweep the ground floor.” Each of his respective team members nodded, silently acknowledging his orders. “Josh, Nick and Aiden I want you to guard the front, I don’t want anyone sneaking out or sneaking in. Everyone else can guard the back. Once we’ve swept the house and subdued the targets we’ll call you in to help with arrests. From what we know the targets are all betas so alpha voices shouldn’t be an issue, the victims are betas and alphas according to our surveillance but remember their trafficking victims and proceed with caution. I want gunfire to a minimum and as few innocent casualties as possible.”

“Oh, and no playing hero you fuckwits.” Niall added with a curt nod. Harry didn’t need to look at his face to know he was grinning like a maniac, the adrenaline had clearly got to him. 

“Horan, quit joking, let's do this thing.” He said firmly, opening the door of the van and sneaking out, gesturing for Niall and Liam to follow. They crouched low as they ran towards the house, guns raised in front of them. Everyone on the team had been doused in scent suppressors, concealing their arrival from their (hopefully) unsuspecting targets. Said suppressants weren’t foolproof but, with the majority of the targets being betas they should more than do the trick. Once at the entrance, Harry paused for a moment, turning to check the rest of his team were following before signalling for Liam to break down the door. 

After that, all hell broke loose.

It became clear almost the moment they crossed the threshold that, this was one of the rare occasions where they’d overlooked or simply missed an incredibly important element.

There was an omega in the house.

The betas weren’t just trafficking their own gender or alphas, they’d gone a step further. Of course, trafficking was trafficking and it was all absolutely despicable but omegas were inherently more vulnerable, more at risk of being injured or impregnated and often found it harder to fight their bodies natural desire to submit. The idea that this group had been exporting one made Harry’s blood boil. 

“Styles, what do we do?” Liam snapped, breaking him out of his rage-induced stupor. 

“I’ll get the omega, I’m the strongest and I’ll be able to command him if necessary.” He said immediately, forcing his legs to start moving and heading up the stairs, not wanting to give the targets more of a chance to getaway. “You proceed as planned, use coms if you need me.” He didn’t wait around for Liam or Niall to acknowledge his order, running up the stairs two at a time. A couple of men made for him as he did so but they didn’t stand a chance. His reflexes were already better than theirs and the rage of his inner alpha only strengthened them further. With great ease he shrugged off their attempted attack, easily knocking both of them out before continuing up the stairs, following the distinct scent of omega carefully.

He barely acknowledged the gunfire that erupted around him, alerting him that the rest of his team had entered the building, barrelling through the upper floor. 

“H-hey, stop,” Harry growled furiously as one of the targets approached, hands raised in surrender. He wasted no time pinning the man to one of the walls, eyes flashing dark.

“Where is the omega.” He all but roared, smirking internally at the fear that crossed the other man's face. He whimpered, pointing nervously down the corridor.

“T-the door on the end, there’s a loft, he’s up there.” After knocking the man out for good measure Harry sped off in the direction of said door. All of the noise and chaos around him seemed to fade away as he used all of his body weight to knock it off his hinges, immediately climbing the stairs. There was another door at the top but it was doing little to conceal the omega's scent. Despite the heavy odour of stale cigars, damp and what Harry really, really hoped wasn’t another alpha, the sweetness was still obvious and, Harry would be lying if he said he didn’t find it pleasant.

But this wasn’t the time to acknowledge how good the omega smelt, all that mattered was getting him to safety.

Without thinking twice he entered the attic room.

The omega wasn’t alone. The scent Harry had picked up on whilst climbing the stairs was that of another alpha. And, despite the loud cries of the omega beneath him, the steady gunfire coming from the floors below and the noise the door made as Harry slammed it open, said alpha was still having his way with the omega. Now Harry prided himself on his ability to control his inner alpha. As the future leader of his pack, it had been necessary for him to do so, he’d learnt from an early age to put logic before instinct when it came to decision making but, something about the scene in front of him had him throwing all of that away.

Without so much as a warning, he surged forward, grabbing the other alpha by the shoulders and forcibly pulling him off of the omega, throwing him to the floor.

“Get the fuck outta here.” Harry roared, dropping his gun, more than prepared to rip the bastard's throat out by hand if he had to.

“And who the fuck do you think you are?” The other man snapped, picking himself up and glaring at Harry, clearly sizing him up. “Last time I checked the omega bitch doesn’t belong to anyone and I paid for him,” Harry growled low in the back of his throat.

“He is his own person.” He spat, silently daring the naked alpha to try something. For a moment he looked like he might but eventually, he seemed to come to his senses, processing how much bigger Harry was than him and promptly fleeing. Harry didn’t even attempt to give chase, knowing fine well one of the others would get to him, turning around slowly to face the omega. “I won’t hurt you.” He breathed, raising his hands up as if to surrender and kneeling to the floor to make himself smaller, less intimidating. The small, blue-eyed boy didn’t say anything, scrambling to cover himself with a thin, grey blanket that had been folded up beside the bed. Harry took that as a sign to move closer. “I’m Harry, who are you?” He tried, not expecting much of a response.

“L-Louis.” The omega spoke after a pregnant pause, blue eyes widening as if he couldn’t believe himself for answering. Harry smiled despite himself. 

“Ok Lous, I’m going to get you out of here but a lot is going on downstairs. Will you let me carry you? It’ll be a lot safer and quicker that way.” The boy seemed to tense as if the idea of being touched horrified him but still, he nodded his consent. It was clear that his desire to get out of this place overriding his fear of the alpha male. Harry watched as the small boy scrambled to pull his blanket tighter around himself, creating a makeshift dress. When he’d settled Harry got closer, still moving slowly and cautiously, just in case.

Before the other could change his mind he scooped him up bridal style and stood carefully, doing his best to only touch where the boy was covered by the blanket.

“Let's get you safe.” He muttered as he did so, heading in the direction of the staircase. His alpha stirred a little, uncomfortable with the idea of bringing the omega into a situation that could be dangerous but he did his best to placate it, his rational mind knowing his team would keep any potential targets away from him. 


	2. Chapter Two

Louis had never been a bad omega.

He’d been one of the packs best if he could say so himself. The other omegas would frequently beg him for his recipes, jealous of the praise he received from the alphas whenever it was his turn to cook. Children very obviously doted on him, fussing over him as much as he fussed over them and, to top it all off, he was unusually independent. He could hold his own and wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself, something that made him unique, considering the more traditional way his pack raised their omegas. His exile had been sudden, the result of unfortunate circumstances rather than his own bad behaviour. T

he elders of Louis’ pack traditional approach was not limited to the raising of omegas. They had rather archaic views as to the pack's power structure, their main set of rules hinging on their glorification (almost worship) of their pack alpha. He was the voice of all reason and, by extension, his heirs held similar influence.

No one was to deny them what they wanted, doing so was punishable by exile.

Unfortunately for Louis, he had been put in a situation where he had no choice but to reject the alphas son, quite publicly at that. The son had reached his coming of age point, the point where the alpha in him would claim his mate and, as Louis’ luck would have it, said alpha recognised him as his mate.

But Louis’ omega had felt nothing towards him. 

Louis was somewhat of a rarity, a kind of omega that hadn’t existed for almost two decades in their pack due to how counterproductive their unique feature was to their survival. Multiple alphas would feel the bond pull towards Louis but, he would only feel the pull towards one. Any attempt to mate or bond with an alpha he didn’t feel the pull to would result in a failed mating, something that carried a significant risk of death.

Of course, rejecting multiple alphas also carried a similarly high risk of death.

Alphas, in general, didn’t take kindly to being told no by anyone they saw as inferior.

Unfortunately, as the alphas son had attempted to initiate mating during his ceremony, Louis had been given no choice but to reject him in front of the whole pack. To say the alpha male had been humiliated would have been a dramatic understatement. And this humiliation had sealed his fate. Within the hour he had been exiled, cast out with only the items he could carry on his back. It had hurt, God had it hurt to have to leave everything he knew and everyone he loved but he was grateful to have at least kept his life.

And, despite his incredibly low chances of survival, he was determined to keep living. 

However, his traditional upbringing hadn’t worked in his favour. 

He lacked any sort of educational qualification, had no official work experience and had never been allowed to explore or experience the world outside of his pack. B

eing unmated and underage had been other obstacles he’d struggled to overcome.

No one wanted to hire or house an unmated omega. He was vulnerable and no one wanted to take on the responsibility of keeping unmated alphas away from him. His additional genetic quirk didn’t help very much either. Everyone he approached turned him away, almost the moment they figured out his secondary gender.

And, if that didn’t do it, the fact he was pack-less certainly did.

It didn’t seem to matter how determined he was to survive, no one else was willing to give him then help he so desperately needed to get back on his feet. He was so used to rejection, so scared of the threat of winter on the streets, so nervous about being forced to shift and exposing himself to the risk of going rogue that when a beta approached him and asked if he’d consider sex work he’d almost immediately agreed.

Sure, the work was far from ideal but he was given a roof over his head, clothes that kept him warm and enough food to sustain himself. H

e attracted a lot of clients and so, the betas in charge tended to treat him pretty well, having figured out pretty early on that he was more profitable when he looked healthy. At first, Louis had been highly motivated to save his somewhat meagre wages and get out of there but, as time passed this motivation slipped drastically. The bond between him and his omega weakened as he allowed himself to be continually degraded and, after two years in the brothel, he reached the point where he simply lacked the energy to do anything other than survive. He allowed himself to be used repeatedly, hoarding his money out of routine rather than out of a desire to someday escape and, spent the time he wasn’t ‘working’ sleeping or trying to shower the feeling of his client's hands off of him.

It had never once crossed his mind that the brothel was illegal, that the betas were part of a much larger sex trafficking organisation that exploited people based on their secondary genders.

He’d never had the opportunity to learn about the world outside of his pack, something that limited his concept of legality and illegality significantly. It took a police officer literally barging into his room, scaring away his client and bundling him into the back of a police car for him to realise that something was amiss.

It had been clear from the moment he was placed in the car that his time at the brothel was over and, although he was relieved in a way to have been given back control over his body he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t terrifying to have everything he knew stolen from him again.

“Louis?” The police officer, Harry, interrupted his panic, causing Louis to jump slightly. 

“Yeah?” He replied quietly, fiddling with his hands and pulling the coat he’d found underneath the seat around himself tighter.

“Are you going to be alright to answer some questions tonight or do you want to rest first?” Louis frowned, not used to someone showing such genuine concern for him. That, alongside the fact Harry seemed to be covered in some very strong scent suppressants, made it surprisingly easy to relax in the man's presence. His omega was unusually calm, despite their proximity and despite his suspicions that Harry was more dominant and thus, more of a threat. 

“I’d like to shower if that's ok?” He asked somewhat sheepishly, meeting Harry’s eyes in the driver's mirror. The mans face shifted, expression regretful.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you shower until we take some samples from you. Would you like to get them done with so you can shower as soon as possible.” For some reason, Louis didn’t think it necessary to ask Harry what he meant by samples. He simply nodded his response, prepared to do whatever it took to get a shower sooner rather than later. “Ok then, I’ll take you to the station to get those sorted then I’ll take you back to my packhouse so you can get washed up and rest. The shower there is much nicer than the one in the station and I can get you some clothes so you’re comfortable while you rest.”

“Won't your pack alpha mind?” Louis practically blurted, eyebrows raising as Harry spoke of sharing his packs resources with him. To his surprise Harry laughed a little, shaking his head.

“Sorry, I forgot about the suppressants. I am the alpha of my pack.” Louis gulped, blood turning icy cold. Almost immediately his omega was in panic mode, urging him to shift and flee, not wanting to risk being hurt or humiliated by another pack alpha. Harry seemed to sense the shift in his demeanour, green eyes flashing amber momentarily as his alpha responded to the silent call of the fearful omega. “Louis, you have my word that no harm will come to you when you are on my land. You are not pack but you are a guest and a victim of a crime, you will be treated as such and you will not be expected to submit to anyone other than myself if I feel it necessary. Am I clear?” His voice rose in timbre, not quite reaching a level that Louis would have no choice to obey but rising enough that his omega would feel compelled to calm down. 

“Yes, alpha.” Louis agreed, voice shaking a little. His omega may have calmed but he couldn’t help but feel restless, on edge, the memory of his exile was more than a little unsettling. 

“Please, call me Harry.” The other man commanded gently and pulled into a parking space in front of what Louis presumed to be the police station. “Can you walk or shall I carry you again?” 

“I can walk,” Louis replied, doing his best to sound confident. Harry nodded, getting out the car and opening the door for Louis. He waited patiently as Louis gathered the blanket and coat he was using to cover himself up, holding them securely before stepping out the car on shaky feet. It was only them that both of them realised Louis was barefoot.

“I’m going to carry you,” Harry said almost the moment he noticed, scooping Louis up once more before he had a chance to protest that he was fine. Knowing that resistance was pointless and, more than a little soothed by his proximity to a man he now knew to be an alpha Louis relaxed in his arms, turning his head into Harry’s chest so that he could ignore the stares of everyone else in the station. He had to bite back a whimper when Harry eventually set him down on a doctors table, stepping away with an apologetic smile that did little to appease his now restless omega.

“Please stay with me?” He found himself asking before he could stop himself, wrinkling his nose a little at how pathetic the urgency in his tone made him sound. Harry nodded and took a step closer, reaching a hand to ruffle Louis’ dirty, caramel hair. Usually, Louis would have cringed away but he found himself relaxing again, soothed by the gentle touches he’d been so deprived of over the past years. 


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I just want to clarify something as its occurred to me this fic may be more non typical a/b/o dynamics. 
> 
> In this universe a/b/o's aren't attached to a wolf. The characters have their primary gender, m/f/non binary etc, and their secondary gender, a/b/o. People have evolved out of having a 'wolf' that they can shift to or communicate with in their mind but an alpha can still calm an omega for example or command them to do something. Bonding is also still a thing. 
> 
> Additionally, there are the rare individuals (aka Louis) who are considered hybrids meaning they have a few physical animal characteristics (like ears or a tail) alongside their primary and secondary gender. Everyone lives in packs just because I decided I wanted them to but, the packs are essentially like big family dynasties.

Unfortunately for Louis, the sample taking process hadn’t gone to plan.

Things had started pretty well but they hadn't remained so. The doctor on duty had been careful, explaining each step he took so Louis wouldn't feel as though his consent wasn’t important. He’d carefully taken samples of Louis’ saliva and blood, wanting to check for any serious infections and determine whether Louis’ mouth contained any traces of another DNA. As Harry had found Louis being penetrated by a client of the brothel it was also necessary for the doctor to take swabs from his most intimate part.

It had taken both the doctor and Harry a long time to coax Louis into agreeing to this, with Harry eventually using his alpha voice to soothe the small omega so he could think about what was being asked of him rationally.

Eventually, however, Louis had submitted and, although he made no effort to conceal his reluctance, he did as he was told, releasing the blanket and coat that he’d swaddled himself in. It was here that the doctor's professionalism had flown out of the window. His jaw had dropped to an almost comical extent as his eyes focused on the dirty cat-like tail that wrapped around Louis’ waist.

“You’re a hybrid?” He questioned, immediately reaching a hand forward to touch the now visible tail. Louis was slow to react, given how tired he was but, to his relief Harry grabbed the doctors hand before he could make contact, growling slightly. 

“Please don’t touch more than you have to.” The green-eyed alpha male warned, eyes flashing dangerously. “Louis here had been through enough.” To Louis’ great relief, despite also being an alpha the doctor heeded his warning, making quick work of the final swab. Even Louis could see that any fight between the two would be heavily weighted in Harry's favour so he supposed the doctor's lack of challenge or objection was lightly due to self-preservation.

“Just as a precaution, before you leave.” The doctor spoke, putting the swab kit, blood sample and saliva sample into a biohazard bag as he talked. “Have you experienced any loss of sensitivity or movement of your tail? And do you have human ears or hybrid ears?” Shyly Louis flicked his ears up. Usually, he kept them pressed flat against his scalp, doing his best to hide the physical symptoms of his rare genetic condition.

Given that he’d lived in a brothel haircuts were few and far between and so his kitten-like ears were all too easily concealed if he concentrated on keeping them flat. 

“Cat ears.” He answered, yawning a little. For some reason, the clinical environment was only making him more exhausted. “And my tail is fine.” The doctor seemed to want to ask something else but he stopped upon noticing the warning glare that Harry was directing towards him.

“Ok well, I guess let Harry here know if anything changes and I’ll have your test results by the end of the week.” The man conceded, turning to tap a couple of things into the computer. 

“Thanks,” Louis responded a little meekly, doing his best to wrap himself up again. Harry went to help, seemingly by instinct but Louis batted his hands away. “I can do it.” He muttered, trying hard to ignore the itch under his skin as he back talked an alpha. Even though he couldn’t yet scent Harry, something that significantly limited the control of the alpha over him, his omega knew what the man was and wasn’t happy with his attitude.

Harry on the other side didn’t even bat an eyelid, waiting for Louis to get himself comfortable and covered up.

“I’m going to carry you, ok?.” Harry said gently. Sure, Louis knew he was more than capable of walking but it seemed pointless to turn down such an offer. He didn’t feel like walking barefoot on the gravel, having managed to avoid it outside. Not wanting to seem too eager, or too reliant on the alpha he grumbled a little but ultimately allowed himself to be carried. If he spent the whole walk (or lift) back to the car trying to ignore how safe he felt in the other man's arms then that was his business. Harry may be a comforting presence, he may not have abused his position as alpha and he may have stood up for Louis in front of the over-eager doctor but that didn’t mean he could be entirely trusted.

It was alarmingly easy for people to hide their true selves, especially when they were alpha and able to coerce people more subtly. Louis would be stupid to not keep his guard somewhat up. But, doing so was proving more difficult than usual. 

“Is your pack far?” He asked, groggily, trying to snap himself out of his sleepy state as they made their way to the car. He hadn’t realised in the medical examination room, too focused on the swabs to notice what was going on but it seemed Harry’s alpha was subconsciously lulling his omega to sleep. Had he not been so deprived of rest and so comfortable this would have made him more than a little bit uneasy but at that moment he could barely keep his eyes open.

“About a ten-minute drive,” Harry explained, setting the boy in the passenger seat and frowning slightly as he noticed how hard he was struggling to keep his eyes open. “Are you ok? They didn’t drug you or anything, did they?” Despite himself, Louis let out a little chuckle, shaking his head as he relaxed into the leather of the car seat.

“It's your alpha.” Another laugh left his lips as he noticed Harry still seemed confused, brow furrowed as he got into the driver's seat and started up the car. “Can you not tell?” 

“No?” Harry replied with a shake of his head, pulling out of the parking spot. “I’m not telling my alpha to do anything.” Louis snorted.

“You don’t always have to tell them.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders, not quite understanding how Harry could not know. “It’s subconscious. You want me to be relaxed and your alpha has decided the best way to get that to happen is to make my omega fucking sleepy.” Harry blushed in a way that further confused Louis. He’d never seen an alpha look so sheepish and it was comical, to say the least. Their whole secondary gender was based around tropes of toxic masculinity (in Louis mind at least), seeing one look genuinely apologetic and maybe even slightly embarrassed was a new experience to him.

Of course, the majority of alphas he’d been around were fiercely traditional at best and morally repugnant at the worst. He didn’t know much about the kind of alphas that head police forces and save strays.

“I’m sorry.” The curly-haired man mumbled after a moment, interrupting Louis rather confused thought process. It was clear from his kicked puppy expression that he was having some sort of internal debate with himself, likely scolding his alpha for just acting on instinct and for some reason the thought made Louis squirm uncomfortably. He shot the man the biggest grin he could manage, reaching out his much smaller hand to pat the man's shoulder gently.

“Don’t be sorry.” He spoke softly, leaving his hand there. “It’s nice, soothing. Your alpha had the right idea, just don’t forget to wake me up when we get to your house so I can shower.” The moment he was sure that Harry believed him and the slight tension between them dissipated Louis allowed himself to succumb to his desire to sleep. He moved his hand from Harry’s shoulder before doing so, resting it over the man's knee instead.

For some reason maintaining some sort of physical contact between them felt very necessary to the quality of his nap.

His thoughts about keeping his guard up, no matter how much he trusted Harry, had vanished by that point. Yeah, people were good at hiding who they were but Louis had been able to smell Harry’s shame when he thought Louis had a problem with his subconscious actions. No one was so good at acting they could manipulate their true emotions, especially not an emotion as strong as embarrassment.

Besides, no knothead luring an omega into an unsafe position would ever be able to apologise, doing so would be a sign of submission that would undermine their status and their power. By apologising Harry had essentially told Louis he wasn’t interested in him at all. Most other omegas would be hurt by this but it was soothing to Louis, a sign that he was finally safe from being interfered with, that he finally had full control over his body.

Or at least, mostly full control.

He knew for a fact Harry would insist on carrying him when they reached his packhouse so that he didn’t need to walk on his bare feet but that was the exact opposite of a problem in his mind. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no post but I promise I am committed to this, life is just throwing me a curveball right now. Comments are hugely appreciated!

It turned out that Louis didn’t need Harry to wake him up. 

It didn’t seem to matter that he had Harry’s clear consent to enter pack grounds. Almost the second they crossed what Louis presumed was the outer boundary his omega caused him to stir, clearly of the belief that he was somehow trespassing. His ears twitched, sticking up on top of his head as instinctively went into high alert, body tensing in a way he assumed was a consequence of how traumatic his last time near a pack had been. Not only had he been completely humiliated, but he’d also lost everything.

Being exiled hurt both emotionally and physically and his omega didn’t want him getting too comfortable in the presence of people who could inflict the same injury on him. He wasn’t quite sure how to go about telling his instincts that they were getting ahead of themselves.

Harry hadn’t offered him a place in the pack, he was merely a visitor, a temporary presence on pack grounds and thus, he wasn’t at any risk of being exiled again.

Still, unable to calm his inner panic he sat up straighter, alerting the man beside him to the fact he was awake, and subconsciously playing with the end of his tail. It was something of a coping mechanism he’d developed over the years. There was just something so grounding about the feeling of his soft fur between his fingers.

“You ok, kitten?” Harry’s voice, deep and soothing snapped Louis out of his daydream. He was sure the man hadn’t _meant_ to call him kitten but there was something about the alphas’ casual use of a pet name that had his brain turning to mush.

It took him a couple of seconds to remember that he’d been asked a question that required an answer, blinking a couple of times as if doing so would clear his brain fog.

“Y-yeah.” He stuttered in a manner so entirely unconvincing it was almost laughable. “I mean, yeah, I’m good.” He corrected, sitting up straighter still and giving Harry a small nod. Although he trusted Harry a great deal more than he treated other alphas he was still very aware of the need to keep his guard up. Harry may not seem like the type of person to exploit him and he may very well have good intentions but biology was unpredictable.

If Harry realised, even on a subconscious level, that all it took was a pet name for Louis’ defences to slip then that left him vulnerable. 

“I’m glad,” Harry said gently, eyes still focused on the road as he pulled up a gravel driveway and parked in a spot that was clearly reserved specifically for him. “So, this is our main packhouse” There was a hint of pride in his voice as he gestured in front of him, drawing Louis’ attention to the large building ahead. It was easy to tell why Harry couldn’t quite hold back his pride. The house was pristine and well maintained however, it didn’t seem forced. Louis could tell just from the exterior of the curious mix of log cabin and mansion that it would be cosy and welcoming.

If Louis wasn’t so nervous he was sure he would have found the architecture quite agreeable but that was the last thing on his mind right now.

“Are you sure no one is going to mind me being here?” He blurted out before he could stop himself, practically wringing his tail between his hands, unable to stop his panic from bubbling over for any longer. Seeing the house, made everything much more real and, it was a lot harder to keep his omega calm now there was no way of pretending that this was all some elaborate dream. 

“Hey, none of that.” Harry reached out, carefully moving Louis’ hands away from his tail, smoothing the fur as he did so as if he was concerned Louis had been hurting himself. “No one is going to mind. I’ve brought you here of my own accord and it’s very clear you aren’t a threat. I’m going to take you up to the suite beside mine anyway so you can have some privacy and get comfortable without intrusion.” Louis cocked his head to the side.

“I’m not taking that room from anyone though, am I?” This time Harry chuckled in response.

“If that's your way of asking whether I’m courting anyone, the answer is no. The suite beside mine is empty and, given your circumstances, I think its the most appropriate place to set you up.” Louis flushed furiously, the implications of his words suddenly sinking in. In traditional packs, the suite beside the pack alphas quarters would be reserved for anyone they may be courting, to ensure no other alpha could lay claim, either out of spite or to take over leadership. It was a means of protecting the pack alphas property essentially.

Although, Louis was well aware of Harry’s reasoning for granting him those quarters had nothing to do with claiming or courting his inner omega wasn’t quite as convinced, preening a little at the implications. 

“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to imply.” Louis stuttered out, doing his best to drown out his internal dialogue. Harry had been quick to deny his subconscious suggestion and Louis’ wanted to be sure he hadn’t caused any offence. The alpha frowned slightly before turning in his seat, practically rotating his whole body so he could hold Louis’ shoulders and look him in the eye.

“I’m not going to punish you for anything you say.” He said firmly. And, if Louis had thought the man's voice was deep before he had been sorely mistaken. The alphas timbre felt like melted chocolate, gliding over him and coating him in an undeniable warmth that replaced his panic with ease. “You are a free person before you are an omega and, you are a guest on these premises, not a pack member that I have any hold or control over. Please, treat me as a friend rather than as an alpha.” The idea of treating someone with more authority than himself as a friend was foreign to Louis’ omega. His traditional upbringing and enslavement in an archaic environment had kept him well shielded from notions of equality and efforts to limit secondary gender bias. It was a lot, therefore, for him to get his head around but he found himself nodding solemnly.

He wasn’t sure if Harry realised but once again his alpha had reached out and soothed Louis’ omega, guiding him into agreement and halting his fearful internal monologue.

“Thank you.” He breathed in response, voice barely a whisper. It wasn’t much, barely an acknowledgement of what Harry had said but it was enough for the larger man. He nodded, the sombre air between them slipping away as quickly as it came. There was a grin on Harry’s face as he spoke again, still gently holding the smaller boys shoulders.

“C’mon, let's get you settled in.” He released his grip, jumping out the car and immediately moving to the passenger side, pulling Louis into his arms before Louis had a chance to process that he’d moved. “Do you want the grand tour or should we put that on hold until you’ve got cleaned up?”

“Can it wait?” Louis managed, leaning into Harry’s chest before he could stop himself. It was quite a struggle to keep his tail to himself, for some reason wanting nothing more than to wrap it around Harry’s arm and anchor the man to him.

“Of course it can,” Harry replied, gentle as ever. “I’ll take you straight up to the bathroom now.” There was silence as Harry opened the door, holding Louis with just one arm as he did so. In some past life Louis might have found this action attractive, a symbol of Harry’s alpha strength, but, at present, all it did was remind him of how frail he had become. It was a little embarrassing. Omegas were, of course, expected to be smaller than alphas, they were biologically predisposed to be smaller anyway but, they were also expected to bear children and Louis knew fine well that his current state raised questions about his fertility.

He very much lacked the hips that he had been told from a young age would help him secure his true mate.

Although, in retrospect, the width of his hips would probably be the least of his concerns. He was tainted goods. Not only had he rejected an alpha before he had engaged in sexual activity with people outside of a mate bond. He knew his pack had always been more traditional but he was pretty sure most alphas would find this fact undesirable. As an omega he was good for fucking, not for mating and bonding with. It had taken only a couple of weeks for him to realise that.

Subconsciously he leaned closer to Harry’s chest as the man walked him through the house, ears pressed flat against the top of his head.

“I can’t smell you, still.” He announced after a couple of moments and at least one flight of stairs, hands gripping at Harry’s shirt and nose twitching as they ascended. It wasn’t that he doubted the man's ability to get them to the top floor in one piece, it just felt good to have something (or rather, someone) to hold onto. Harry chuckled a little, chest rumbling in a way that vibrated through Louis’ body on account of their proximity. 

“You sound almost disappointed, kitten.” He replied gently, the nickname rolling off his lips in a way that made Louis shudder. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone calling him something so typically omega, especially when they weren’t paying him but, for some reason, coming from Harry the nickname felt right. Harry hadn’t used it to degrade him, to put him in a spot or highlight his status as a biological submissive, he had used it as a term of endearment and Louis would be lying if that didn’t make his tail swish contently. “I want you to stay here so I can be sure you’re safe and so I need to take suppressants for safeguarding and legal reasons. While you were being seen to I sorted out the necessary injections so there wouldn’t be an issue of you coming back here when I’m working your case .” Harry explained, casually, as if what he was saying and what he had done wasn’t a big deal. 

“But your pack?” Louis choked out, head reeling. He’d never heard of an alpha, let alone a pack alpha, going to such extremes for the sake of an omega that wasn’t their mate. To Harry, he was, in reality, no one and yet the man had shown him more kindness than anyone he had encountered since his exile.

An alphas scent was a source of power, a way of shamelessly displaying and carefully warning people of their emotions. A pack alpha could use their scent to subdue unrest, calm hysterics and ultimately ensure that they were listened to. To conceal it was, in a sense, like cutting off a limb and trying to fight as though you were uninjured. Or at least that's what Louis had been taught. He got the impression, due to Harry’s very casual approached, that it wasn’t as significant as he had been led to believe.

“My pack respect me regardless of how I smell,” Harry said gently, proceeding down a short corridor and stopping to push open a large wooden door, revealing the most beautiful bathroom Louis had ever seen. The tall man remained quiet as set Louis down on a counter beside a large porcelain sink, turning his back to the omega as he fussed with the taps of the large, claw-footed bath that occupied the centre of the bathroom. After pouring a copious amount of bubble bath into the water Harry turned back around, stepping closer to Louis and resting his hands on the smaller man's shoulders. “I don’t want you to worry. My pack are well aware of my job and the risks associated with it. Although this is the first time I have brought work home, so to speak, they will understand as they know to respect my decisions. I don’t know what your experience of alphas has told you but I can assure you resorting to biological means of asserting myself is, and always will be, my last resort.” Louis flushed furiously, the intensity of Harry’s words stirring something unidentifiable in the pit of his stomach. He knew fine well that his ignorance of modern alphas was not his fault but he couldn’t help feel slightly ashamed for generalising Harry so obviously. T

he two barely knew each other but it didn’t take a genius to notice that Harry was somewhat of an enigma, the best kind of alpha that Louis could have hoped to have been rescued by. 

“Thank you.” He breathed after a moment of silence, meeting Harry’s eyes and doing his best to convey his complete gratitude. “Do you mind leaving me while I bathe?” He added, hands wringing his tail and head bowing subconsciously as he plucked up the courage to ask the alpha before him a question. He didn’t need to look up to know that the man was smiling warmly. 

“Of course, call out for me when you’re finished and I’ll bring you in some clean clothes.” Harry gave one final nod before leaving Louis to it.

It was only as he stepped into the bath, hot bubbly water washing over his aching limbs, that Louis realised this was his first unsupervised bath since his exile.


	5. Chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, right? 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy

Despite the immediate physical impact of sinking into the warm bath, Louis took a while to relax. 

It didn't matter that Harry had acted the perfect gentleman, that he'd made arrangements that would allow Louis to stay with his pack in the long term or, that he'd gone so far as to repress his scent to keep Louis comfortable. As much as Louis wanted to trust him blindly, he couldn't quite shake away the lingering anxiety that caused his shoulders to tense. 

It all seemed too good to be true. And, if Louis' time on the streets and at the brothel had taught him anything, it was that if something appears too good to be true, it likely is. 

The last thing he wanted was to become accustomed to the sort of luxuries he'd been deprived of for so many years to have them cruelly stripped away again. 

Nothing good would come from having to readjust to the hardships of life as a stray. He was too old, too worn and too jaded to go through that pain again. Every inch of his being was screaming at him to start making a backup plan, to ransack the small bathroom for supplies that he could use if he had to run. 

But, he couldn't bring himself to move. 

There was only so much his body could do to resist the lull of the warm water around him. 

He wasn't stupid; one bath wouldn't cloud his judgement entirely. Surely, there was no harm in enjoying things like hot baths while he had access to them?

Eventually, his fight or flight instinct subsided, and he allowed himself to enjoy this rare experience of luxury. Harry had very thoughtfully laid all the necessary products out, even providing him with different scent options. He deliberated carefully, popping open each cap and taking in each of the different smells. 

Although part of him wanted to sink into the bubbly water surrounding him and close his eyes, he knew he had to focus on getting clean. 

And so, he set to work. 

Shampoo was not something he'd had access too, even when he'd been allowed to wash, and Louis didn't think words existed to describe how good it felt to scrub his scalp clean. After shampooing, he ended up emptying most of the bath and refilling it, trying not to overthink the grimy colour the water had taken on when he rinsed the suds away. 

If he did a second shampoo to prove to himself that his hair was clean, then that was his business. 

His body followed and was a much more laborious task. He stood in the tub, scrubbing each inch of his skin until it was pink before rinsing off. Just as he had with the shampoo, he repeated this process a couple of times, washing and rinsing until the water running down his limbs looked as clean as he felt. He wasn't quite sure how long the bath had taken but, by the time he stepped out of the tub and wrapped himself in a warm towel, his fingers had pruned up beyond recognition.

Not that he minded. 

He was thrilled to have had the opportunity to bathe for so long. 

Still slightly ashamed of how dirty he had been, he rinsed the tub a couple of times before calling for Harry as instructed. Of course, Harry knew he hadn't had the chance to bathe in a while, but that didn't mean Louis wanted him to see physical proof.

"Louis? Kitten, can you open the door a little so I can pass you your things?" 

"Ok." He replied quietly, trying not to overthink how uncomfortable such a request would usually make him feel. There was something different about Harry that Louis couldn't quite put his finger on, something that was allowing the man to break down his usual boundaries. Trust was not something that came easy to him, and yet, as he opened the bathroom door, he had complete faith that Harry would not lay a finger on him. None of the alphas he had encountered up until that point would have shown the same level of restraint. 

All they knew how to do was take, take, take.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Harry's smooth voice cut through his racing thoughts, snapping him back to the present. He nodded, meekly, struggling slightly to take the small pile of clothes whilst still holding his towel up to cover himself. 

"Yes, thank you, al- Harry." He caught himself quickly, blushing and looking to the ground when he realised his mistake. "I'm sorry." 

"Hey?" Harry's voice somehow got softer as he reached out and oh so gently tilted Louis' chin up so they could make eye contact. "Use whatever name is easiest for you. I should have said earlier. I'm not your alpha because you are not part of my pack, but I want you to call me what you find most comfortable." 

"Ok," Louis replied quietly, taking a step back from Harry. The man's touch was nothing but tender, but it was still overwhelming to Louis. The stark difference between the way Harry approached him and how he was used to being approached was not easy to process. "Um, I'll get dressed now?" After a brief pause, he spoke again, hyper-conscious of how peculiar they must look, standing and staring at one another. Harry sprang back into action almost the moment the words had left Louis' lips. 

"Of course." Harry ran a hand through his hair a couple of times, strangely flustered. "Call me again when you've finished dressing, and I'll give you a tour." 

And, with that, Harry mimicked Louis and backed away, closing the door as he went.

Louis did his very best to ignore the way watching Harry leave pulled at his heartstrings. There was no way they were mates. Louis' omega would surely have reacted by now if that was even a possibility. The fluttering in his chest was nothing more than a reaction to finally being treated like an actual person. 

\- - - - - - - - - 

It was clear to Louis that Harry's pack was not a typical one from almost the moment the tour started.

As far as Louis could tell, there was no divide between alpha work and omega work. The alpha's worked alongside the omegas on each household task, even taking part in menial jobs such as folding laundry and sweeping floors. 

Several omegas were even wearing uniforms similar to Harry's, suggesting they had actual paid work outside the packhouse. 

Additionally, very few of the pack members addressed Harry as alpha. 

They mostly greeted him with some form of a nickname. Most seemed to be versions of his actual name, but some were obviously derived from inside jokes and would need explaining later. Although they all referred to Harry by different names, there was one consistency that stood out. Not one of the people Louis encountered seemed to cower away from Harry in any way. They were so comfortable in his presence. And, despite their evident curiosity as to Louis' origins, they treated him with an almost identical level of respect. 

"Do you take in many people like me?" Louis found himself asking as they left the kitchen, in awe of the fact one of the betas had gone so far as to introduce himself and shake his hand formally. 

He'd never even considered that omegas could be treated in the same way as the other genders. It was strange to see such equality of treatment in practice, but, it was something he felt he could get used to. 

Maybe his condition wouldn't be as dangerous in a pack that treated omegas like they 

"I have welcomed other victims of sex trafficking into the pack, yes." Harry paused for a moment before continuing. "But, never an omega or a hybrid. Your gender is much harder to save as crimes against omegas are typically punished much more severely than crimes against the other genders." He looked as though he had more to say but, a flash of blonde hair and another body crashing against his stopped him in his tracks, knocking the breath right out of him. Louis couldn't help but giggle, raising a hand to cover his lips as Harry gasped for breath and wrestled with his attacker to stand up straight. 

Ordinarily, he may have cringed away from the sudden intrusion of a third party but, once again, he found he was calm enough not to react. He felt safe and, although the blonde whirlwind had startled him, his omega knew that he wasn't in danger. 

For once, his instincts weren't telling him to run, to escape.

Every bit of his nature was telling him to stay exactly where he was. 

"Louis, meet Niall." Harry's voice snapped him out of his trance and, he once again found him face to face with a beta who deemed him worthy of a handshake. "He's my beta, my second in command and a general pain in my arse." Niall just laughed, gripping Louis' hand tightly before pulling him into an equally as crushing hug. 

"Don't listen to a word he says; he'd be lost without me." The moment Niall spoke any lingering reservations Louis had disappeared. His accent, although a little rough around the edges, was the definition of soothing. Louis' didn't think he'd be able to be anything but calm in the other mans presence. 

"Nice to meet you." He managed, noting that Niall seemed to be waiting for him to respond. The moment the words left his lips, the blondes face split into a wide grin. 

"I like this one already." He announced matter of factly, reaching a hand to ruffle Louis' still damp hair. Unfortunately, his smile didn't last long, and he eventually turned back to Harry, looking a lot more solemn. 

"The chiefs getting involved with our case, Haz. Because of Lou here it's going to be a high profile shit storm and they want everything done by the book. I think we're going to need to get the interview process over with much sooner than anticipated."

"How soon is much sooner?" Harry practically groaned, nibbling the corner of his lip. Niall had the decency to look sheepish.

"Like, pretty much immediately?" 


	6. Chapter Six

"You comfortable, Lou?" Harry's voice broke the tense silence. 

Niall's news had cut the tour short. No sooner had the blonde stopped talking Louis had been taken back to the house's top floor, to the alphas office. 

In any other circumstance, Louis may have liked the small room. 

However, sitting opposite Harry and Niall, the tape recorder in front of him a silent elephant in the room, he couldn't bring himself to appreciate the office the same way he'd admired the rest of the house. 

"Um, yeah." He eventually managed to choke out an answer to Harry's question, subconsciously squeezing his tail a little tighter. Although he knew that he was physically safe, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that bubbled in his stomach. The last thing he wanted was for Harry to view him differently. 

Telling his story meant telling the alpha what kind of omega he was and, nice as Harry was, he couldn't be sure how he'd react to this information. 

His past experiences told him it was highly likely that Harry's reaction would not be a positive one. Mating was sacred in their society, and omegas like Louis' threatened the mating bond's sanctity -as well as the hierarchy of authority in packs.

An omega capable of rejecting an alpha was an omega with too much power. Louis had learnt that lesson the hard way. 

He jumped slightly in his seat as a shrill beep rang out, indicating Harry had started the tape. 

"This interview is between Detective Harry Styles, alpha and Officer Niall Horan, beta. We are interviewing..." Harry trailed off. Thankfully Louis noticed his cue to talk.

"Louis Tomlinson, omega." He practically breathed out, trying not to focus on how weird it felt to say his last name out loud for the first time in so long. 

"We will be asking Mr Tomlinson questions in connection with our ongoing human trafficking investigation," Harry added, smiling encouragingly at Louis. 

Unfortunately, it would take a lot more than smiles to soothe Louis at that point. Another loud bleep sounded as Harry paused the tape, looking at Louis with a solemn expression. 

"We understand that you probably have a lot to say but don't feel like you have to skip over anything. We need all the detail that you can give us to make sure those bastards go away for a very long time. Let us know if you need to stop the tape at any point but know that we have complete faith that you can get through this. Ok?" Bizarrely Harry's attempt at a motivational speech worked, and Louis found himself nodding, calmly. 

"Ok." He said softly, taking a couple of deep breaths before gesturing for Harry to start recording again. 

And then he told them everything. 

He barely remembered to take a breath between sentences, spewing out thoughts and feelings out as they popped into his head. Try though he did to bear in mind the need for coherence he couldn't seem to order his words appropriately. 

There was too much that needed to be said; too much to explain. 

Although his knowledge of the law was slim, he knew enough to be aware of the importance of being thorough. Unfortunately, as he spoke, it became more and more apparent to him just how much trauma he'd suppressed. Each reported memory uncovered a dozen related events that he'd forgotten, hidden away in some crevice of his mind to preserve his sanity. 

Accurately reporting everything he had suffered through was more complicated than he had initially anticipated. 

It didn't take long for his interviewers' concerned expressions to shift to looks of confusion. Louis couldn't blame them, he knew it was overwhelming, but now he had talking started he couldn't bring himself to stop. 

The dam had been broken. 

Eventually, Harry seemed to sense the distress of Louis' omega, and he interjected calmly. 

"Mr Tomlinson." Louis could practically taste the alpha pheromones on his breath. Bizarrely enough the man's use of his natural abilities still seemed to be subconscious. Harry looked almost surprised when Louis came to an abrupt stop, shoulders visibly relaxing. Of course, internally, his omega was still worked up, but Harry's voice alone was enough to soothe him physically. 

"Yes, sir?" It took Louis a second to remember to reply, still perplexed by the alpha that seemed unaware of the effect he was capable of having. 

"Would it perhaps help you if myself and Mr Horan asked you specific questions based on what you've already said? We understand this is traumatic for you, and this is just an initial interview. We want to get the main gist of everything down first, and then we can go into the specific details of specific events." Niall nodded from his seat beside Harry, smiling widely in a way that Louis found oddly reassuring. The impact the two men were having on him was unprecedented. 

His protective walls had fallen as quickly as the dam that usually prevented his memories from spilling out. 

It was getting harder and harder to remind himself to stay alert. Every bit of Louis' being was ready to relax and fall into pack life. 

Although the thought of doing multiple interviews alarmed him slightly, he nodded his response to Harry's question, fighting the urge to giggle as Niall dramatically gestured for a verbal reply. Presumably for the tape. 

"Yeah, that would be helpful." He forced himself to speak, taking a sip of water when he realised just how dry his throat was from his rambling. 

The interview flew by after that. Having a question to focus on, a goal to work towards helped Louis recount things in order. The past few years of his life were, admittedly, a blur in parts but Harry and Niall's prompting enabled him to recount even the fuzziest details. No longer talking a mile a minute and no longer so alert he even found himself relaxing towards the end of the process. The consideration the alpha and beta showed him was unprecedented. 

He had revealed the darkest moments of his past, yet, he felt like they'd merely discussed a football game. 

In truth, he wasn't sure how long the interview lasted. But, by the time Harry deemed them finished for the day darkness had fallen. Louis could barely keep his eyes open, let alone hold a coherent train of thought, and Niall's yawns were getting suspiciously close together. It startled Louis a little to realise he was comfortable enough to feel tired, his eyelids growing heavy as Harry formally closed the interview. 

Of course, he was used to physical and mental exhaustion, but this was different. 

Despite having recounted his traumas, he felt at peace. He struggled to remember the importance of not getting comfortable as he sank back into the leather seat. 

"How many more times will I have to do that?" He asked softly, watching as Harry fussed about, plugging the recorder into his laptop. There was a brief silence as Harry did whatever it was he was doing. 

"Hopefully, not many but," his expression shifted from one of concentration, looking apologetic. "I can't say for sure. With a case like this, we need all the evidence you can give and, there is still the matter of trial." 

Louis blanched and, Harry seemed to notice the immediate shift in his mood. 

"But, we don't need to think about that just yet. Let's get you to bed for now." Louis bit his tongue, not wanting to tell Harry that the anticipation was what worried him. He wanted this process, whatever this process was, over and done with. 

The more Harry spoke about it, the more complicated things seemed. 

Regardless of his concerns, he let Harry help him out of the large armchair, wearily taking the hand of the alpha as he offered to guide him back to his room. Another small kindness his omega could barely believe. His tail swished wearily behind him as they went. Given how quickly his anxiety had dissipated, he no longer felt compelled to hold it close to him. Both his ears and his tail stood proud as he padded alongside Harry through the corridors of the large house. 

"Your room." Harry stopped a little abruptly, gesturing to a door on his left. In his tired state, it took Louis a couple of moments to recognise where he was, back on the top floor where he'd taken his bath. "I'm just across from you, and you know where the bathroom is although you do have one attached to your room." And maybe Louis gasped a little at the concept of having his own bathroom. But, if he did that was between him and Harry only. 

"Thank you, Harry." He held back a yawn and looked up the taller man earnestly. "What you and your pack are doing for me couldn't be more appreciated." The green-eyed alpha smiled widely. 

"It's the least we could do." He replied solemnly, reaching a hand to stroke Louis cheek gently. "You are so brave; you know that, right?" The sudden compliment had Louis flushing furiously, breaking eye contact to look down at his feet. 

"I just did what was necessary to survive." He mumbled, unsure why Harry's words made him squirm so much. 

"That's more than most could do." Harry continued, tone dripping with honesty. It was a struggle to accept the alpha's praise, but Louis couldn't ignore how earnest Harry sounded. "Now, I'll leave to get some rest." The alpha stepped back before Louis could thank him again, disappearing into his bedroom. Something unidentifiable twinged in Louis's chest, but he swallowed down and followed Harry's example, retreating into his room.

Despite how comfortable he'd become in the house, he was relieved to find his door locked from the inside. The chances of anyone coming for him when he was staying opposite a pack alpha were slim, but his instinct was still to bolt himself away. 

He resisted the urge to move one of the heavy wood dressers in front of the door also. That would be overkill, considering he had no reason to fear for his safety. The last thing he wanted was to unintentionally offend the pack that had so generously taken him in. For some reason, the thought of disappointing or disrespecting Harry in particular chilled him to the bone. 

This worry didn't stop him from checking the lock a couple of times. His omega needed to find security somewhere, after all. Only when he was satisfied with the door did he turn to face his bed, barely able to believe the size of it. He would have gratefully accepted a mattress on the floor, and so, the king-sized four-poster was a slight shock to the system. 

But, he certainly wasn't complaining. 

The bed was perfect, everything he had ever longed for, and more. He fought off sleep for a few minutes more, carefully arranging the duvet and pillows into more of a nest. When his omega was satisfied, preening contently, he peeled off his clothes and slipped under the covers. 

Sleep was upon him quickly.

And his usual nightmares never came. 


End file.
